Teen game developers get shot at besting #1 gamer in the world

We’re counting down the days until camp. We actually start summer computer camp the first week in June at UT Austin, and then rollout our other sites every week from that point. Camp is the best time of year! We’ve got some pretty cool announcements that follow below, and a cool story about one of our campers to go along with it:

While other students spend their summers watching TV, Jimmy McChristy spends his time creating video games and learning technical skills at summer computer camps.

Jimmy McChristy

This past summer, Jimmy, 16-years-old, attended our intensive 3-week game development program called the iD Gaming Academy. During the program, teens like Jimmy used powerful industry-standard applications like Maya® to learn the basics of 3D graphics production and to create a gaming project by the end of the session.

But along with learning the skills he needs to develop technology projects, Jimmy is also practicing to become a better competitive gamer. Although he is a teenager who may seem like any other teen his age, Jimmy, or “MMMPotatoes” as he is known in the gaming world, is already taking big honors for his age playing in video game tournaments at summer camp. During the last summer season alone, Jimmy set a tournament record, achieving four regional titles—three wins of which were consecutive.

Jimmy may be following in the footsteps of esteemed gamers before him, such as Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, considered by many gaming authorities to be the top gamer in the world. Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel is the most accomplished, professional PC Gamer in history and is the breakthrough name and face of the sport. As the world’s most famous PC gamer, he spreads interest in PC gaming wherever he goes and, in the process, has become the sport’s worldwide ambassador.

This upcoming summer, students such as Jimmy (and other up-and-coming gaming stars) will have the opportunity to test their skills against luminaries such as “Fatal1ty” and members of the Free Players Organization™. We at internalDrive, the national leader in summer technology camps, have partnered with The Fatal1ty Brand to provide students from across the country an opportunity to play against the best of the best.

Students attending our elite game development camp, the iD Gaming Academy, will have the chance to play in these exciting tournaments. Our players will engage in intense competition on gaming servers hosted by NVIDIA, one of the premier names in computer gaming hardware. They will play some of the hottest computer games on the market, including QUAKE 4 from id Software. Local tournaments will narrow down the competition and bring out only the best teens, such as Jimmy, who will then move on to play against “Fatal1ty” and members of the Free Players Organization™.

Perhaps the next great gaming star will get his chance at stardom while playing teen gaming tournaments at our iD Gaming Academy. Perhaps that future star will look back and highlight playing his childhood role model while at summer camp as the height of his inspiration. In any event, teens with a strong interest in gaming shouldn’t miss out on this unique opportunity. For some, playing against “Fatal1ty” or a member of Free Players Organization will be a once in a lifetime event.

About iD Gaming Academy

iD Gaming Academy by internalDrive immerses teens in the dynamic world of video game development. Students create their own mini game portfolio with levels and interactivity in this intensive 3 week program. Using powerful industry-standard applications like Maya, teens will learn the basics of 3D graphics production, including modeling, texturing and animating. Additionally, they’ll participate in late-night gaming tournaments, LAN parties and tour a game development studio. Sessions are at UCLA, Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Villanova University. Visit www.idgamingacademy.com or call -1888-709-TECH (8324) for more information.

About Johnathan “Fatal1ty” WendelJohnathan became the world’s first full time professional video gamer in October 1999, when he placed third at the CPL’s Frag3 tournament. Two weeks later he was invited to represent the USA in an international tournament in Stockholm, where he went undefeated with a perfect performance, winning all 18 maps and losing none. He has continued to dominate competitions all over the world, competing on 6 continents during his 6-year professional career.

Winning the 2005 CPL World Tour Finals in New York City secured his twelfth Major Championship and tenth world title, accomplished while competing in 5 different games – an unprecedented achievement. His New York City victory earned him $150,000 and brought his 2005 total winnings to $231,000. During his competitive gaming career Fatal1ty has placed 1st in 65% of all the competitions he has entered and top 3 in 90% of them.

About Free Players

The Free Players Organization is made up of Professional Video Game Players, who compete in tournaments around the world. Unlike other video gaming groups who take a portion of competition winnings, members of the Free Players retain all prizes won in tournaments.

Free Players are dedicated to the promotion of Video Game competitions as a true sport and travel the world to advance that concept.

Pete has been at the helm of iD since 2000. He resides in Silicon Valley. Pete has a love of design and is passionate about creating memorable experiences for kids. By day he is CEO, by night he is a youth soccer coach and chef of the house. Pete studied at UW in Seattle and worked abroad in Spain. He is fluent in Spanish, but his kids think otherwise. The best part of the job? Seeing the kids advance from tech novices to studying at top Universities and landing big-time jobs.